{"id":259397,"date":"2025-12-17T15:21:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T20:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=259397"},"modified":"2025-12-17T15:21:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T20:21:21","slug":"4-teams-that-may-target-best-available-nfl-free-agent-matthew-judon-after-cut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/12\/17\/4-teams-that-may-target-best-available-nfl-free-agent-matthew-judon-after-cut\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Teams That May Target Best Available NFL Free Agent After Cut, Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"

After being eliminated from postseason contention, the Miami Dolphins have cut veteran pass-rusher Matthew Judon. According to the breaking news<\/a>, the Dolphins are releasing Judon, who spent only one season in Miami, will have a chance to join a contender before the playoffs in a couple of weeks. Originally selected in the 2016 NFL Draft, the former Grand Valley State product has been more of a journeyman for the majority of his career. Judon came off his best seasons with the Baltimore and New England Patriots, becoming a versatile defender.<\/p>\n

4 Teams That May Target Best Available NFL Free Agent Matthew Judon After Cut, Ranked<\/h2>\n

The veteran will now join a fifth team in his career as his time is winding down. The pass-rusher isn’t the same as he used to be, but he is a good option as a veteran presence. Several teams could use his services, but he is coming off his worst campaign this season, to no fault of his own. Judon was more in a rotational role in Miami, while players like Jordyn Brooks<\/a> have been getting most of the snaps.<\/p>\n

The former fifth-rounder is just one year off from recording 5.5 sacks in 17 games. It’s not the best numbers, but it proves that he’s still reliable in a system that utilizes him in the best environment. Here are four teams that could sign him in the upcoming days.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

4. Seattle Seahawks<\/h3>\n

Other than the Houston Texans in the AFC, the Seahawks have one of the best defenses. After ranking fourth in sacks<\/a>, they could use the presence of Judon. The Seahawks must give quarterback Sam Darnold several opportunities to thrive in the postseason. Darnold didn’t have a solid wild-card last time he was in the postseason, so the defense will need to put him in those winning opportunities. Judon won’t have the start ahead of DeMarcus Lawrence<\/a> or Ernest Jones, but he could come in during third-down stops.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Nov 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori (3) and Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

3. San Francisco 49ers<\/h3>\n

At 10-4, the 49ers will also be in the postseason mix, but they haven’t done enough to strengthen the defense. After losing Nick Bosa<\/a> and rookie Mykel Williams, San Francisco must find a temporary solution to give them an edge over their NFC competitors. Bringing Judon could stabilize this group and get some pressure on the opposing offenses come January.<\/p>\n

\"How
Sep 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) on the field during warm ups prior to a game against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

2. Houston Texans<\/h3>\n

Why not? The Texans have the No. 1 defense<\/a> heading into the 2025 postseason. With CJ Stroud still struggling, Houston might have to lean on the defense to carry the weight of the offense. If anything, Judon would have tremendous success when you pair him with Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair and Will Anderson.<\/p>\n

\"Danielle
Sep 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) celebrates his sack against Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) (not pictured) in the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

1. New England Patriots<\/h3>\n

This is the most obvious destination for Judon. Given that the Patriots are in “win now” mode under Mike Vrabel, they must ensure that their defense is at its best. Drake Maye is thriving in the pocket, so it’s the defense’s job to make his life easier with excellent field position. With Milton Williams<\/a> planning to return from an injury, the presence of Judon should be able to fend off some of the pressure.<\/p>\n

\"\"
New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams (97) celebrates sacking Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After getting released from the Miami Dolphins, this veteran has a chance to play for these four NFL contenders. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4795,"featured_media":259398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,14,4,5,6431,31,32],"tags":[1304,7980,7360,7163,7777,7908,7394,4445,7325,7282],"class_list":["post-259397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","category-texans","category-dolphins","category-patriots","category-nfl-teams","category-49ers","category-seahawks","tag-danielle-hunter","tag-ernest-jones","tag-houston-texans-news","tag-matthew-judon","tag-miami-dolphins-news","tag-milton-williams","tag-new-england-patriots-news","tag-nick-bosa","tag-san-francisco-49ers-news","tag-seattle-seahawks-news"],"modified_by":"Anthony Palacios","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4795"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259397"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259406,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259397\/revisions\/259406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}